Tag Archives: Disney

E.136 Fantasmic! vs. Fantasmic!! vs. Fantasmic!!!

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On this Fantasmic episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, we are diving deep into the minutes of Fantasmic shows all over the world! Who has a better show? What could be improved? Updates that have been made and updates that might happen in the future.

Fantasmic! is a nighttime show at Disneyland Park at the Disneyland Resort, Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort, and Tokyo DisneySea at Tokyo Disney Resort, that features fireworks, characters, live actors, water effects, pyrotechnics, lasers, music, audio-animatronics, searchlights, decorated boat floats, and mist screen projections. The narrative structure of Fantasmic!—although varying differently in set pieces in all three versions—centers on a voyage through Mickey Mouse‘s imagination that culminates in a battle against the Disney Villains.

Fantasmic! originated at Disneyland in 1992 after Walt Disney Creative Entertainment was asked to create a nighttime spectacular involving water and fireworks to reinvigorate the space in front of the Rivers of America. The area was reworked, including terracing the walkways to accommodate viewing and modifying part of Tom Sawyer Island to allow the show’s staged live-action segments. The producers employed the resources of Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Imagineering.

A second version, featuring new scenes, debuted at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 1998 and a third version debuted at Tokyo DisneySea in 2011, replacing BraviSEAmo!. A new, updated version of the Disneyland version of the show featuring a re-recorded soundtrack in addition to new scenes, lighting, choreography, and costumes debuted in 2017.

E.134 Mickey Mouse’s 90th Birthday!

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On this special episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, we are focusing on Mickey Mouse and his 90th birthday! While the Mouse is getting up there in years, Disney isn’t letting him slow down one bit; they are ramping up for tons of fun things, hoping to make tons of money too. We also talk about how long Disney might be able to hold on to Mickey.

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E.133 Mary Poppins Popcorn.

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On this episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast we are chatting about Disneys 1964 Film, Mary Poppins, The Musical, Saving Mr. Banks and how that inspired the newest Patch at www.DisneyPatch.com

Mary Poppins is a 1964 American musical–fantasy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney, with songs written and composed by the Sherman Brothers. The screenplay is by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, based on P. L. Travers‘s book series Mary Poppins. The film, which combines live-action and animation, stars Julie Andrews in her feature film debut as Mary Poppins, who visits a dysfunctional family in London and employs her unique brand of lifestyle to improve the family’s dynamic. Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, and Glynis Johns are featured in supporting roles. The film was shot entirely at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California using painted London background scenes.

Mary Poppins was released on August 27, 1964, to critical acclaim. It received a total of 13 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture– a record for any other film released by Walt Disney Studios – and won five; Best Actress for Andrews, Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Song for “Chim Chim Cher-ee“. In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.[5] Mary Poppins is widely considered to be Walt Disney’s crowning live-action achievement, his only film to gain a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars in his lifetime.

A sequel titled Mary Poppins Returns, directed by Rob Marshall, is scheduled to be released in the United States on December 19, 2018.

 

E.132 Tower of Terror.

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On this last episode before Halloween, we are talking all things Tower of Terror on the Obscure Disney Podcast.

 

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, also known as Tower of Terror, is an accelerated drop tower dark ride located at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Tokyo DisneySea, Walt Disney Studios Park, and formerly located at Disney California Adventure Park. Except for the Tokyo DisneySea version, the attractions are inspired by Rod Serling‘s anthology television series, The Twilight Zone, and take place in the fictional Hollywood Tower Hotel in Hollywood, California. The Tokyo version, which features an original storyline not related to The Twilight Zone, takes place in the fictional Hotel Hightower. All three versions place riders in a seemingly ordinary hotel elevator and present the riders with a fictional backstory in which people have mysteriously disappeared from the elevator under the influence of some supernatural element many years previously.

The original version of the attraction opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in July 1994 and was the basis of the 1997 television film of the same name, several scenes of which were shot at the attraction. A decade later, Disney began plans to add similar versions of the attraction to their newest parks at the Disneyland Resort in California, Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan, and Disneyland Paris. In California and Paris, Disney sought to use the popular attraction to boost attendance at the respective resorts’ struggling new theme parks. The California and Tokyo versions of Tower of Terror opened in 2004[8] and 2006,[9] respectively, while financial problems delayed the opening of the Paris version until 2007.[10] The California version closed in January 2017.[3]

The Tower of Terror buildings are among the tallest structures found at their respective Disney resorts. At 199 feet (60.7 m), the Florida version is the second tallest attraction at the Walt Disney World Resort, with only Expedition Everest 199.5 feet (60.8 m) being taller. At the Disneyland Resort, the 199-foot (60.7 m) structure (which now houses Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!) is the tallest building at the resort, as well as one of the tallest buildings in Anaheim.[11] At Disneyland Paris, it is the second tallest attraction.

E.131 Dead Men Tell No Tales.

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Come with us as we delve into the weird stories about Disney parks; human remains, odd accidents and possible hauntings. We chat about the rumors and true incidents that make up the creepier side of visiting your favorite place.

E.129 Not So Scary Disney Ride Overlays.

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On this Not So Scary episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, we talk about a few changes Disneyland makes in the parks for Halloween, and then chat about what Walt Disney World could do to put a Halloween spin on some of their existing attractions as well.

E.128 Hocus Pocus Focus

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On this special Halloween episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, we enjoy talking about a nostalgic classic, Hocus Pocus. We talk about the movie’s production, the music, and the lasting legacy of the Sanderson Sisters and the virgin lighting the black flame candle.

 

Hocus Pocus is a 1993 American comedy horror fantasy film directed by Kenny Ortega, starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker; written by Neil Cuthbert and Mick Garris, and based on a story by Garris and David Kirschner. It follows the villainous trio of witches, who are inadvertently resurrected by a teenage male virgin in Salem, Massachusetts.

Although it was not a critical or commercial success when first released, Hocus Pocus has become a cult film,[3] largely from annual airings on Disney Channel and Freeform (formerly ABC Family).

E.123 Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. Obscure Disney Podcast

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Today on the Obscure Disney Podcast we are going to where the birds sing words and the flowers croon; The Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room. As an attraction it was revolutionary and we discuss the whole experience.

 

Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room is an attraction located in Disneyland at the Disneyland Resort, in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, and in Tokyo Disneyland at Tokyo Disney Resort. Opened in 1963 at the Disneyland Resort, the attraction is a pseudo-Polynesian themed musical animatronic show drawing from American tiki culture.

The attraction opened June 23, 1963, and was the first to feature Audio-Animatronics technology, a WED Enterprises patented invention The attraction was sponsored by United Airlines for its first 12 years; in 1976, sponsorship passed over to Hawaii’s Dole Food Company, which remains the sponsor to the present day. Dole also provides the unique Dole Whip soft-serve frozen dessert sold at a snack bar near the entrance.

The show was originally going to be a restaurant featuring Audio-Animatronics birds serenading guests as they dined. The “magic fountain” at the room’s center was originally planned as a coffee station (there is still a storage compartment within the base of the fountain) and the restaurant would have shared its kitchen with the now-defunct Tahitian Terrace in Adventureland and the Plaza Pavilion restaurant at the corner of Main Street, U.S.A. since all three are actually part of the same building. Since ownership of the attraction was separate from the rest of the park, a nominal admission charge of $0.75 was levied. Because computers have played a central role in the attraction since its inception, Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room was also Disneyland’s first fully air-conditioned building.

E.122 Dumbo 1941 Movie Review – Obscure Disney Podcast

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On this episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, we are talking about all things 1941 Dumbo. We chat about the movie itself, the goings-on in the world at the time it was released, and it’s lasting impact on society and the world of animation.

Dumbo is a 1941 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The fourth Disney animated feature film, it is based upon the storyline written by Helen Aberson and illustrated by Harold Pearl for the prototype of a novelty toy (“Roll-a-Book”). The main character is Jumbo Jr., a semi-anthropomorphic elephant who is cruelly nicknamed “Dumbo”, as in “dumb”. He is ridiculed for his big ears, but in fact, he is capable of flying by using his ears as wings. Throughout most of the film, his only true friend, aside from his mother, is the mouse, Timothy – a relationship parodying the stereotypical animosity between mice and elephants.

Dumbo was released on October 23, 1941; made to recoup the financial losses of Fantasia, it was a deliberate pursuit of simplicity and economy for the Disney studio. At 64 minutes, it is one of Disney’s shortest animated features. The sound was recorded conventionally using the RCA System. One voice was synthesized using the Sonovox system, but it, too, was recorded using the RCA System.

In 2017, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

E.120 Disney Park, After Dark, Obscure Disney Podcast

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On this episode of the Obscure Disney Podcast, We chat about the magic that is the parks after dark; the lights, the shows, the rides. Listen to us talk about what is fun to do after the sun goes down and maybe a few constructive suggestions to make your night at Disney all that it can be.